"Defending New Hampshire Public Education" provides resources for citizens concerned about New Hampshire education.

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ANALYSISThis bill abolishes the department of education and all divisions, bureaus, and offices within the department except for the office of the commissioner of education and the state board of education.

FISCAL IMPACT:The Department of Education states this bill will increase state general fund revenue by $2,650,000 in FY 2013, decrease state restricted revenue by $1,300,000 in FY 2013 and each year thereafter, and decrease state expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2013 and each year thereafter. The Department of Education also states this bill will decrease local revenue by $47,076,655 in FY 2013, and $50,000,000 in FY 2014 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county revenue or county or local expenditures.

METHODOLOGY:The Department of Education states this bill abolishes the Department and transfers all functions, duties, and responsibilities to the commissioner of education and the state board of education. The Department states this change in organization would place the entire remaining budgetary structure under a newly formed Office of the Commissioner. The Department states this reorganization would eliminate 5 unclassified positions and, once the current terms for each position expire, their associated salary and benefit costs, within the Department: Deputy Commissioner, Director of Higher Education, Director of Career Technology and Adult Learning, Director of Educational Improvement, and Director of Program Support. The Department also states this bill repeals the statutes regarding educator licensing and the program’s related dedicated fund, which would eliminate the 11 classified positions and their associated salary and benefit costs within its Educational Credentialing unit; eliminate the unit’s operating expenses; and lapse the projected dedicated fund balance as of July 1, 2012 of $2,650,000 to the state general fund. The Department also states this bill repeals the school building aid program, which would eliminate the 2 classified positions and their associated salary and benefit costs related to that program, and would mean that the state would no longer be obliged to pay the program’s annual grant or the remaining outstanding liability on existing projects, the so-called ‘tail’. The Department also states this bill eliminates regulation of private post-secondary career schools in the state and the associated revenue and expenses. The Department states all of its current functions not specifically eliminated as described above would need to be accomplished by the Office of the Commissioner, and that all positions and funding not eliminated above would remain in place under the Office of the Commissioner. The Department estimates it would need an additional 4 administrator positions to operate under this new structure at an average annual salary and benefit cost of approximately $100,000 each.

Formerly:2012-H-2062-R title: abolishing the department of education and transferring all functions, duties, and responsibilities to the commissioner of education and the state board of education.Sponsors: (Prime)Charles Sova , Seth Cohn, Susan DeLemus, Frederick Leonard